In large, commercially operated swimming pools it is usual to introduce a liquid chlorine solution into the pool water via a metering pump. For economy of transport and storage, chlorine compounds such as calcium hypochlorite are supplied in granule form in drums. Current practice is for the granules to be dissolved in water by hand mixing, and the resulting solution placed in a metering pump reservoir.
This procedure has a number of disadvantages. The mixing requires an operator in attendance, and tends to be carried out by non-technical personnel to a low level of accuracy. The granular material is degraded during transport, resulting in a mixture of granules and fine powder or dust in the drum; hand mixing leaves a residue of dust in the foot of the drum, which dust is difficult for the operator to measure accurately.
A principal object of the present invention is to overcome or mitigate these problems.